We need help identifying this brand of shoes.

[Gemmie]

Quoting myself here, just wanted to add that I never thought it was an L to begin with.

Yeah, I'm in the Z camp too. It just makes more sense for several reasons I've mentioned previously.

 

[megs1477]

I cleaned it up some and fixed the heart. I also removed the letters since we can't decide what they say.

 

[Gemmie]

I found this link yesterday:

https://fid.dmi.unibas.ch/

It is a footwear impression database. I downloaded the file and looked through 1175 photos. #76, attached below, has a similar "J" pattern. It seems to be a partial print and I have no idea of how to use the information. If anyone wants to look at the website and figure out if there's a way to identify the shoe brand, that would be lovely. It's beyond me.

The second pic is the flipped version.

I woke up in the middle of the night (as per usual) and laid there thinking about this task. I am leaning very strongly toward this NOT being an impression made in dirt, and that it's a blood print transferred from the bottom of the shoe to fabric when someone stepped on it. That makes more sense to me since as a few of us have mentioned... it looks like fabric behind it. I just can't wrap my head around a shoe sole looking like fabric weave with the placement of a logo on top of it. That just does not compute. LOL MOO

@Insightful1 - Several of us have unanswered questions that would help us all out a lot.

1) What year was the crime? Even if unknown just us knowing when the print was found would tell it it was that year or before. Even a ballpark would work.
2) Where did the crime take place? For me, all I need is the country since individual states don't make their own brands of shoes. But I'll take the state if you have it! Knowing if it was made in the US vs. China, Mexico, etc... would be very helpful to us.
3) Do you know how the impression was made? Like was it a print found in dirt or mud, or is it a bloody transfer onto fabric as I outlined above?
4) I'd like to know if LE thinks they are M or F shoes. Did LE state they are tied to the perpetrator (I'd think Male. Sorry guys....) or are they from a female victim? I'm not a sole expert but sole designs may vary by gender.

Thank you! We all want to help you get the answers you seek and answers to these questions will help us do that for you!!

 

[Gemmie]

Did we get an answer on the year? I had the thought that it’s possible that they are a knockoff or from a website like Amazon or Zulily that sells stuff from a “marketplace” which could explain the random letters. I’ve had some shoes and boots from both sources with very elaborate patterns on the bottom including snowflakes, hearts, etc. unfortunately, without the shoe itself, if this is the case it broadens the search significantly as they’re often called something different on the website than what is printed on the shoe itself.

For me, elaborate patterns on shoe soles are usually something pretty like you mentioned (snowflakes, hearts, etc.). I don't find the image on this particular shoe 'pretty'. Especially with the large text below the image. What that makes me think is that perhaps the images above the text could be part of the brand name.

For instance... some of see a flexing rat, wolf or fox over what I'm feeling is likely the word CALZADO. Calzado means Footwear. Maybe this brand has a flexing animal as their logo so you'd read the sole like "Flexing Rat Footwear". Kind of a playful way to place the brand on the soles.

 

[Gemmie]

Now it looks like a stylized outline of Mexico.

Do you have an image that you can share with us that looks like what you're envisioning? I don't see it but I'd REALLY like to envision what you're seeing! Just something close to what you're thinking would help. Especially since I'm heavily leaning toward the word being CALZADO (Spanish for Footwear). If it is a stylized outline of Mexico, and the word is CALZADO... then I think we're onto something. Perhaps shoes made in Mexico.

 

[vls12345]

Do you have an image that you can share with us that looks like what you're envisioning? I don't see it but I'd REALLY like to envision what you're seeing! Just something close to what you're thinking would help. Especially since I'm heavily leaning toward the word being CALZADO (Spanish for Footwear). If it is a stylized outline of Mexico, and the word is CALZADO... then I think we're onto something. Perhaps shoes made in Mexico.

I'm not the one you were asking, but it made me think of the Baja peninsula:

 

[Lwieckowicz]

Do you have an image that you can share with us that looks like what you're envisioning? I don't see it but I'd REALLY like to envision what you're seeing! Just something close to what you're thinking would help. Especially since I'm heavily leaning toward the word being CALZADO (Spanish for Footwear). If it is a stylized outline of Mexico, and the word is CALZADO... then I think we're onto something. Perhaps shoes made in Mexico.

What I saw was like tribal design almost kinda reminded me of this sort of thing

 

[CSIDreamer]

What I saw was like tribal design almost kinda reminded me of this sort of thing

Is there a name for that design?

 

[Lwieckowicz]

Is there a name for that design?

I guess it’s called Greek Key or Meander

Is there a name for that design?

 

[Gemmie]

I Goog'ed 'does Mexico use the greek key pattern' and found this:

The Greek Key in the Ancient Americas​

In the next leg of the Greek key journey, the pattern shows up in Central America around 900 BCE. The world is still a place where communication between disparate geographies—Central America, Greece, China—is unlikely.

So, the pattern may not have been passed from one of these cultures to the other, but somehow there it is in Mexico, at the Mitla ruins from 900 BCE.



More here: A Meander Through the Long History of the Greek Key Pattern

ETA - This is tying in the CALZADO (Spanish for Footwear) Mexico thing for me.

 

[Lwieckowicz]

I Goog'ed 'does Mexico use the greek key pattern' and found this:

The Greek Key in the Ancient Americas​

In the next leg of the Greek key journey, the pattern shows up in Central America around 900 BCE. The world is still a place where communication between disparate geographies—Central America, Greece, China—is unlikely.

So, the pattern may not have been passed from one of these cultures to the other, but somehow there it is in Mexico, at the Mitla ruins from 900 BCE.



More here: A Meander Through the Long History of the Greek Key Pattern

I was thinking about that cultural aspect as well. When I googled shoes and Greek key I found Versace had a line of shoes with this symbol found on the bottom tread, albeit not the same as the one we’re looking into, I’m wondering if other brands were copying Versace at the time? Versace White/Grey Suede And Leather Greek Key Sneakers Size 45 at 1stDibs

 

[Lwieckowicz]

I Goog'ed 'does Mexico use the greek key pattern' and found this:

The Greek Key in the Ancient Americas​

In the next leg of the Greek key journey, the pattern shows up in Central America around 900 BCE. The world is still a place where communication between disparate geographies—Central America, Greece, China—is unlikely.

So, the pattern may not have been passed from one of these cultures to the other, but somehow there it is in Mexico, at the Mitla ruins from 900 BCE.



More here: A Meander Through the Long History of the Greek Key Pattern

ETA - This is tying in the CALZADO (Spanish for Footwear) Mexico thing for me.

I just thought about it, maybe knowing which culture the Greek key design comes from may help decipher what exactly the other symbols are in the tread pattern. I’m gonna look into this design more online and see if anything stands out.

 

[CSIDreamer]

Check this out vintage Mitla women's heels.

The word on there is calidad. Probably not a word match, but fascinating.

 

[stattlich1]

I have a pair of Sanuk flip flops that are a combo of fabric and rubber bottom. They have quite a design, I tried to upload a picture but the file is too large.

 

[stattlich1]

Ahhh, here we are!

 

[megs1477]

Im in Cali , I can answer questions if you have any.

It’s hard to know what to ask without more information on the origin of the print. Timeframe and location would be very helpful.

 

[Gemmie]

I have a pair of Sanuk flip flops that are a combo of fabric and rubber bottom. They have quite a design, I tried to upload a picture but the file is too large.

How did you try to upload? I rarely use the Attach Files button. I copy and paste into the body, then grab a corner with my mouse and drag it in to make the image smaller. Sometimes that works for me here. If it doesn't then I do what I said in MS Word, then copy and paste the smaller image here.

 

[Gemmie]

It’s hard to know what to ask without more information on the origin of the print. Timeframe and location would be very helpful.

I'm hoping the OP of this thread will answer my Q's I left for her. Answers would be helpful to us all!

 

[stattlich1]

How did you try to upload? I rarely use the Attach Files button. I copy and paste into the body, then grab a corner with my mouse and drag it in to make the image smaller. Sometimes that works for me here. If it doesn't then I do what I said in MS Word, then copy and paste the smaller image here.

Ole boy figured it out.....THANKS!

 

[Rolypolyoly]

I have looked at hundreds (if not thousands) of shoe soles and I haven't seen another one that has text in the treads. Has anyone else?

Same!. I have a pair of rocket dog's that have "rocket dog" in the tread though. They are really uncomfortable because you can feel the embossed writing through the sole!.